Day 81 of 135

Day 81: Verses on the Ninth Night

On the last night of the pasiyam for their late friend Ising in a town in Bulacan, Lola Candida (A), a retired schoolteacher, and Lola Upeng (B), a retired market vendor, revive the duplo, the verse contest they watched as girls, to keep the mourners awake.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense.
  3. Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Tagalog. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.

Dialogue

Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.

Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day

  1. A

    Upeng, tingnan mo, tulog na ang kalahati ng mga nakiramay. Mag-duplo tayo, gaya ng napanood natin noong dalagita pa tayo.

    Upeng, look, half the mourners are asleep. Let's do a duplo, like the ones we watched when we were girls.

  2. B

    Sige, kahit walang hari ang duplo natin. Ang paksa: sino sa atin ang mas mahal ni Ising?

    All right, even if our duplo has no king to judge it. The topic: which of us did Ising love more?

  3. A

    Madali iyan: "Rosas akong mahal, dinilig ni Ising, ikaw nama'y damo sa gilid ng hardin."

    That's easy: "A cherished rose am I, watered by Ising; you're the weed at the edge of the garden."

  4. B

    Ay, ganoon? "Rosas sa plorera, tatlong araw lamang, ang damo sa gilid, buhay pa rin naman."

    Oh, is that so? "A rose in a vase lasts three days at most; the weed at the edge is alive and well."

  5. A

    Aba, gising na ang mga apo. "Sa aking panulat dumaan ang puso, ang liham kay Fermin, ako ang sumuyo."

    Well, now the grandchildren are awake. "Through my pen her heart found its way; in the letters to Fermin, I did the wooing."

  6. B

    Totoo, pero "ikaw ang sumulat, ako ang nagbantay, sa burol ni Fermin, ako ang umakay."

    True, but "you did the writing, I kept watch over her; at Fermin's wake, I was the one who held her up."

  7. A

    Ayoko nang magbiro. "Ang totoo, Upeng, ako ay nainggit, sa tawanan ninyong abot hanggang langit."

    I don't want to joke anymore. "The truth, Upeng, is that I was jealous of the laughter you two shared, which reached all the way to heaven."

  8. B

    "At ako'y nainggit sa iyong panulat, ang kard mo sa Pasko'y binasa sa lahat." Pati sa mga suki ko, Candida.

    "And I was jealous of your pen; your Christmas cards she read out to everyone." Even to my customers, Candida.

  9. A

    Pareho pala tayong nainggit. Sino ngayon ang mananalo, kung walang hahatol?

    So we were both jealous. Who wins, then, if there's no one to judge?

  10. B

    May hahatol. Tingnan mo si Ising sa larawan, nakangiti, gaya ng dati tuwing nagtatalo tayo.

    There is a judge. Look at Ising in her picture, smiling, the way she always did whenever we argued.

  11. A

    Siya na ang hahatol ngayong gabi. Ako ang magsisimula, ikaw ang tatapos: "Rosas man o damo, isa ang nagdilig..."

    Then she'll be the judge tonight. I'll start, you finish: "Rose or weed, it was one hand that watered us..."

  12. B

    "...sa iisang lupa tayo'y nakatindig." Ising, tabla na kami, ha?

    "...and in the same soil, side by side, we stand." Ising, let's call it a tie, all right?

Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 82: Two Dads at the Christmas Pageant 

If this free course has helped you in your Tagalog journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.